Engraved for Murrays History of the American War.

Pollard sculp.

BENJAMIN FRANKLIN,

L.L.D.FR.S.

One of the American Plenipotentiaries at the Court of France. ́

Printed for T.Robson, Newcastle upon Tync.

"That to propofe taxing them by parliament, and refufe them the liberty of chufing a reprefentative council, to meet in the colonies, and confider and judge of the neceffity of any general tax, and the quantum, fhews fufpicion of their loyalty to the crown, or of their regard for their country, or of their common fenfe and understanding, which they have hot deferved.

That compelling the colonies to pay money without their confent, would be rather like raifing contributions in an enemy's country, than taxing of Englishmen for their own public benefit:

That it would be treating them as a conquered people, and not as true British fubjects.

That a tax laid by the reprefentatives of the colonies might eafily be leffened as the occafions fhould leffen, but being once laid by parliament under the influence of the reprefentations made by governors, would probably be kept up and continued for the be nefit of Governors, to the grievous "burden and difcouragement of the colonies, and prevention of their growth and increafe.

That a power in governors to march the inhabitants from one end of the British and French colonies to the other, being a country of at least 1500 fquare miles, without the approbation or confent of their feprefentatives first obtained, fuch expeditions might be grievous and ruinous to the people, and would put them on a footing with the fubjects of France in Canada, that now groan under fuch oppreffion from their governor, who for two years pait has harriffed them with long and deftructive marches to the Ohio.

That if the colonies in a body may be well governed by governors and councils appointed by the

G

crown,

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crown, without reprefentatives, particular colonies may as well or better be fo governed; a tax may be laid on them all by act of parliament for fupport of government, and their affemblies may be difmiffed as an ufelefs part of the conftitution.

"That the powers propofed by the Albany plan of union, to be vested in a grand council reprefentative of the people, even with regard to military matters, are not fo great as thofe the colonies of Rhode Island and Connecticut are trufted with by their charter, and have never abufed; for by this plan, the prefident general is appointed by the crown, and controuls, all by his negative, but in thefe governments the people chufe the governor, and yet allow him no negative.

"That the British colonies bordering on the French are properly frontiers of the Britifh empire; and the frontiers of an empire are properly defended at the joint expence of the body of the people in fuch empire: It would now be thought hard by act of parlia ment to oblige the cinque ports or fea coafts of Britain to maintain the whole navy, because they are more immediately defended by it, not allowing them at the fame time a vote in chufing members of the parliament; and if the frontiers in America muft bear the expence of their own defence, it feems hard to allow them no fhare in voting the money, judging of the ne ceffity of the fum, or advifing the measures.

"That befides the taxes neceffary for the defence of the frontiers, the colonies pay yearly great fums to the mother country unnoticed: For taxes paid in Britain by the landholder or artificer, muft enter into and increafe the price of the produce of land and of manufactures made of it; and great part of this is

paid

raid by confumers in the colonies, who thereby pay a confiderable part of the Brith taxes.

"We are reftrained in our trade with foreign nations; and where we could be fupplied with any manufacture cheaper from them, but muft buy the fame dearer from Britain, the difference of price is as a clear tax to Britain. We are obliged to carry great part of our produce directly to Britain, and where the dutes there laid upon it leffen its price to the planter, or it fells for lefs than it would in foreign markets, the difference is a tax paid to Britain,

"Some manufactures we could make, but are forbidden, and must take them of British merchants; the whole price of thefe is a tax paid to Britain.

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By our greatly increafing the demand and confumption of British manufactures, their price is confiderably raised of late years; their advance is clear profit to Britain, and enables its people better to pay great taxes; and much of it being paid by us, is cleartax to Britain.

"In fhort, as we are not fuffered to regulate our trade, and restrain the importation and confumption of British fuperfluities (as Britain can the confump. tion of foreign fuperfluities) our whole wealth centres finally among the merchants and inhabitants of Britain, and if we make them richer, and enable them better to pay their taxes, it is nearly the fame as being faved our felyes, and equally beneficial to the

crown.

"Thefe kind of fecondary taxes, however, we do not complain of, though we have no fhare in the laying or difpofing of them; but to pay immediate heavy taxes, in the lying, appropriation, and difpofition of which we have no part, and which perhaps we may know to be as unneceflary as griev